1. Field of the Invention
In the past, the mounting of an actuating device with a hinged handle in the door was cumbersome and unsatisfactory. Such devices are comprised of at least three components, i.e., a support arranged at the inner side of the door with a bearing axis which extends substantially parallel to the door plane, a hinged flap connected thereto, and a handle which is arranged on the outer side of the door. After having been fastened, the handle and the flap form a single component so as to pivot together.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
In a first known actuating device the handle and the flap were formed together as a monolithic part and a portion of the outer sheet metal of the door, having a recessed depression, was integrated with the support. Between the upper longitudinal edge of the handle and the flap an angled strip was located which penetrated a corresponding slot in the outer sheet metal of the door. This resulted in sealing problems relative to the adjoining areas of the outer sheet metal of the door. Moreover, the portion seated on the support had to be matched individually to the respective color of the outer sheet metal of the door which was cumbersome and incurred high storage costs for the entire color palette.
More favorable with respect to sealing is an actuation device of the kind having a hinged handle arranged on the outer side of the door, having a support connectable at the inner side of the door behind an outer sheet metal of the door, which comprises a substantially parallel extending bearing axle relative to the door plane for a flap to be supported thereat in a pivotal way, wherein the flap has two connecting points for the two ends of the handle positioned at the outer side of the door before the outer sheet metal of the door and the flap with the handle connected thereto form a single component so as to pivot together, which, in the area of the two handle connecting points has stays which penetrate an opening in the outer sheet metal of the door. In this known actuating device, the handle with its two handle ends is connected to two stays which are fixed components of the support arranged on the inner side of the door. In this case only two penetrations in the door covering are required through which the stays are guided when mounting the device. The stay ends serve to fasten the handle wherein the two fastening locations are located on the outer side of the door not only in the folded-out position but also in the folded-in position of the handle; they are therefore visible in a distracting way and may provide a reason for manipulations by unauthorized persons. In the known device the fastening means were two threaded screws which each connect a flap pair between the stay on the flap, on the one hand, and the end of the handle, on the other hand. Moreover, the fastening of the handle on the flap was time-consuming and cumbersome.
The invention has the object to develop a reliable device of the aforementioned kind which can be mounted and demounted quickly and easily. This is achieved according to the invention in that the first connecting point provided on the first stay is comprised a rotary bearing comprised of a pivot pin and a pivot seat, whose pivot axis extends substantially perpendicularly to the door plane and thus determines an insertion direction of the pivot pin into the pivot seat oriented in the same direction, wherein during insertion of the pivot pin into the pivot seat the handle is rotated about an angle relative to its final fastening position on the flap; in that on the free end of the pivot pin at least one radial projection is provided having correlated therewith an opening at the pivot seat and the opening allows passage of the projection during insertion of the pivot pin, in that the pivot seat, viewed in the insertion direction, has behind the opening an inner shoulder extending transversely thereto, which is engaged from behind by the projection of the inserted pivot pin and then makes the rotary bearing between the handle and the flap axially non-detachable; in that the second connecting point provided on the second stay is comprised of two parts of which one part belongs to the handle and the other part belongs to the flap, and the handle is rotatable on the outer side of the door in the rotary bearing of its first connecting point to such an extent that the two parts of the second connecting point will become radially aligned with one another, and in that then the two aligned parts of the second connecting point are connected to one another and determine the final fastening position of the handle on the flap.
According to the invention, the first connecting point between the handle and the flap is provided on the first stay and is formed by a pivot pin and a pivot seat which can be coupled to one another by insertion. In the coupled situation they determine a rotational axis which extends perpendicularly to the plane of the door. This results in an especially simple mounting of the handle.
First the flap is supported in a pivotable way on the bearing axle provided on the support and this component is mounted on the inner side of the door. Subsequently, the flap is transferred into the folded-out position in which the connecting points provided on the flap are aligned with the two openings in the outer sheet metal of the door. Through one of the openings the aforementioned coupling between the pivot pin and the pivot seat on the first stay is realized. Subsequently, the handle on the outer side of the door must only be rotated about an angle until the two stay parts provided at the second connecting point are radially aligned with their fastening points. The two aligned fastening points must then only be connected to one another by suitable fastening means in order to secure the handle in the final fastening position on the flap. The fastening means on the second stay can be easily actuated in the folded-out position of the support from the outer side of the door. In the folded-in position of the component comprised of the handle and the flap they are invisible.